(NewsNation) — The weather could make holiday travel difficult as millions return home from their Thanksgiving break.
AAA forecast that 54.6 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home in the US this week, of whom 4.5 million will fly. Wednesdays and Sundays are typically the busiest days of the holiday season, but experts said that could change this year as people work remotely in hopes of missing the holiday crowds.
As of Thursday, travelers reported fewer complications than expected, with relatively few flights cancelled.
For those driving home on Sunday, the weather could put a damper on some travel plans.
The National Weather Service urged holiday travelers to heed its warnings about a winter storm that is expected to bring snow to the mountain passes beginning Saturday night and could dump snow on metropolitan areas from the Sunday until next week.
“Heavy mountain snow is expected tonight through Sunday night for the Cascades,” the weather service said on Twitter. “If you are going to travel, be sure to check with @wsdot_passes for information on tire requirements.”
The National Weather Service has issued heavy snow warnings for parts of the Cascades and Northern Rocky Mountains and rain is expected in the Southeast, Ohio Valley, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions.
For northern New England, that rain could turn to snow Sunday night, creating dangerous driving conditions.
For people who travel by plane, things look better. On Sunday morning, the airline tracking site Flight Aware was reporting about 50 canceled flights and just over 1,000 delays for travelers within the US.
